


we're finally landing

by myfinalpleasure



Category: Prospect (2018)
Genre: Adrift in Space, Cee (Prospect 2018) - Freeform, Cee and Ezra share three braincells and Cee has all three, Cee is grown up a bit, Damon is mentioned, Dancing, Eventual Smut, Ezra (Prospect 2018) - Freeform, Ezra won't stfu, Ezra/Cee - Freeform, F/M, Kidnapping, Masturbation, Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pedro Pascal - Freeform, Prospect (2018) - Freeform, Slow Build, Slow Romance, Sophie Thatcher, Space Pirates, Takes place after the events of the Green, Tea, for the plot, i have no explanation for this, small spaces, survival situations
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2021-02-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:21:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27922939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myfinalpleasure/pseuds/myfinalpleasure
Summary: Beside her, Ezra nudged her gently. “Won’t be an easy life.”“I know.”“Lots of salvaging, foraging - You’ll be learnin’ to survive.”Cee inhaled sharply. I’m not helpless, she wanted to tell him, but was that true? It felt like everything she had learned from her father hadn’t helped when it really mattered, but then again, herself and Ezra were only alive because of her, though she would never boast about it, especially because of her partner’s permanent disabilities, a direct result of her actions.“We can’t stay here,” she spoke eventually. “I’ll learn. I promise.”Ezra smiled sweetly, his dark brown eyes searching hers. “ ‘Atta girl. I wouldn’t have any other alongside me. You’re exceptional, birdie. We’ll do well for ourselves out there.”“Foraging and salvaging.” Cee repeated, looking out the viewport at the starry night, the dancing lights coaxing her closer with their promise of adventure.Ezra cleared his throat, a goofy grin on his face. “And, of course, anything we procure - even split?”Cee turned and smiled back. “Of course.”
Relationships: Ezra (Prospect 2018)/Cee (Prospect 2018), Ezra/Cee
Comments: 93
Kudos: 98





	1. dreams wash away

**Author's Note:**

> hi ,, it's me again. I have been in space adventure hell and Prospect is the centre of it (thank you Star Wars, Alien, The Martian, X-Files, and some others as honorable mentions). I am a Cee stan first and foremost, and maybe I'm projecting, but if I was traversing the galaxy with one armed, Texan, sassy Pedro, I would probably fall in love too. So this is just that. A lonely prospector and a bright young girl, off on an adventure. This fandom is so sparse, but I hope this fic will find someone who will enjoy it.
> 
> Song from this chapter is Dreams Wash Away by Joe Wong.

_You lose your mind  
All things dissolve in time  
The weight of will  
Slowly diminishing_

\----

Light glided across the cot, bright and festering in white starkness compared to the dark sheets that covered the girl underneath them. The light danced across the space, from the cot, along the floor, and up the wall before disappearing. The lights were sometimes the only reminder that the ship was spinning slowly in a circle, as the gravity ensured the motion wasn’t felt by the passengers. The stars outside were close together, glittering in the blackness around them, as a light pink fog engulfed most of the vision from the ship’s viewports. 

Cee stirred restlessly, turning over and resisting the urge to run laps to tire herself. The lights were distracting, the sky was distracting, and her newest book was tucked under her cot mattress, practically screaming for her to pull out a flashlight and read just one more chapter. 

The only thing that was keeping her from doing so was the snoring from the other side of the small room. She glanced over, though it was dark, Cee could make out the shape of Ezra wrapped in a thick blanket, his mouth hanging open just enough to create the lulling of his light snores she had grown so used to in the past months. He was a deep sleeper, and could seemingly pass out whenever it suited him. Cee envied that, she could barely get a few hours in no matter how hard she tried. There wasn’t much point getting too upset about it, but the more she thought, the bigger chance there was she would revert to using the same method her late father had. 

Not wanting to bring her father into her late night thoughts, Cee quickly sat up and pulled away the sheets. Sighing, she pulled on some socks to battle the cold flooring of the ship, grabbed her book from the cot, and quietly snuck from the room, casting one last look at the prospector before shutting the door behind her. 

The corridors of the ship were fairly silent, save for the humming of the walls and a distant radio chatter from somewhere in another room. The weight of the headlamp in Cee’s pocket reminded her of her bad habit - staying up late or sneaking away to read or write - but then again, Ezra never got upset the way her dad used to. He egged her on, snatching books and hiding them for Cee to read wherever she wanted. Less like a father and more like a mischievous friend, coaxing her to pursue her interests. The thought made her smirk to herself as she settled in a corner to begin reading. 

Since Cee had finished writing her own transcribed version of _The Streamer Girl_ , the blonde haired girl had moved onto another few novels, and the latest (another present from Ezra, he said he found in the garbage, but it still had its tag), was called _Kevva’s Eyes_ , and was keeping Cee more than entertained. The main characters, Adam and Stella, were stranded on a foreign planet and had been tracking a dangerous criminal syndicate who had kidnapped Adam’s brother. It was thrilling, and quickly rifling through the pages, Cee found the last page she had read and shown the light on the words using her headlamp, which was on her person at all times. 

_“Adam, I’m freezing!”  
“Then come, get closer. We’ll have to stay here in the tent overnight, we won’t be able to move until morning, not in this storm.”  
Stella wriggled in closer to her companion, wrapping her slender arms across her front tighter in an attempt to capture the heat while shivering terribly. Adam looked down at her with kind, brown eyes and offered a friendly grin, one that made Stella’s chest fill with more warmth than any hug or fire could give her.  
“You’re shaking.” He finally spoke. “Is that from the storm, or am I making you nervous?”  
“Oh, Adam,” her whisper was barely heard over the roaring winds outside, but nonetheless, Adma captured Stella’s lips with his, holding her gently as he could, despite his great passion he felt._

Cee shifted in her spot, feeling warm around the collar. She glanced up and down the hall once more, just to make sure there wasn’t anyone around before continuing reading. 

_“Take this off,” He said, tugging at her shirt, though it was less like a command and more like a gentle question. And Stella did. She slid the garment away and let her companion hold her bare flesh in his hand while she gasped with delight, and great warmth pooling between her legs.  
Adam wanted to ravage her, to distract her from all the awful things in their world, to make her feel safe and lusted for. He was a great man with a heart made for earning, and he earned for Stella in their small tent in the storm.  
Stella sang for him as he laid her down, her moans light and airy while his fingers snaked below the waistband of her pants. She was warm, slick like oil, and he couldn’t wait to taste her._

She couldn’t help it when her hand clasped over her mouth - Cee had never read anything so dirty in a novel - she didn’t even know they published things like that. She flipped the book over and read the back, then the sleeve, and didn’t find any indication that it was for a mature audience. How was one supposed to know? Ezra certainly couldn’t have when he brought it back for her. Cee was very warm now and feeling her own tingling, but couldn’t stop herself from reading more. She had to know what was going to happen. 

_“Adam! Oh, please, touch me there.” Her voice rang out, clutching at him desperately as he stroked his fingers along her warmth. He smiled and quickly pulled away to strip himself down.  
“We’ll actually be warmer naked and together,” he breathed cheekily, kissing down her stomach. “I want to keep you safe, Stella. I’ll do that for you.”_

Cee had to stop for a moment, too embarrassed to read Adam putting his mouth on Stella’s most private area, but she was anxious to see what would transpire, and curious, far too curious, she quickly skipped ahead a few lines. 

_“Tell me what you want, baby.”  
“Oh, Adam, fuck me, please! Fuck me hard, I want-”_

“Birdie,” 

Cee exclaimed in surprise, slamming the book closed so fast the sound echoed along the empty corridors, resulting in a deafening silence afterwards, with the young girl staring into the deep brown eyes of Ezra, who looked more tired than she had seen him in a long time, with his messy bed hair sticking up all over the place and his heavy eyelids almost closed. 

“May I inquire as to what yourself is doing at this late hour?” He yawned, and she then noticed he had carried his blanket out, curled over his shoulders. 

Cee panted with the surprise of being startled. “N-nothing.” She swallowed hard. “I was reading, I didn’t want to wake you.” 

“When I awoke briefly from my slumber, my concern rose when I saw you were not in a dreamstate,” Ezra sighed. “Nevermind you absent altogether. I would appreciate if you didn’t go wanderin’ alone at night, to ease an old man’s heart and worry?”

“You’re not old,” she retorted quietly, clutching the book to her chest tightly. 

“Good thing I have a hankering for knowin’ where you’ll be caching yourself at this late hour. You’re nothing if not predictable, little bird.” 

She stood then, her knees creaking after having been sat in the same position for a while, and Ezra followed, rising to his full height. He dropped the blanket over her shoulders and wrapped an arm around her for a moment, giving her a little squeeze.

“Let’s rest. Plenty of time for perusal in the morrow.” They walked back down the hall towards their shared living space. “I must admit, I have a tad of contentment at the notion that you would forfeit shut eye for a novel I extended to you. Is it a good tale?” 

Still on a high of embarrassment from earlier, Cee found her throat dry. “Yeah, it’s really good.” She managed. “I’m close to the..climax of the story.” 

“Maybe I’ll have a gander after you’re concluded. I should like to know how Adam liberates his brother.” 

“Yeah, it’s really good.” She repeated.

Back at the room, Ezra climbed right back into his cot, groaning slightly as he adjusted himself. He untucked his sheets and wrapped them around himself while trying to get comfortable. Cee could tell his right side was bothering him, the absent right arm creating a sore stump that was obviously difficult for the prospector to sleep on. Ezra never complained though, never, at least not to Cee. Whether it was to ensure she didn’t feel guilty or because he didn’t want pity, he kept his mouth shut and gritted his teeth instead, avoiding eye contact if he ever hissed or grunted when he felt a phantom pain.

Cee wouldn’t have minded if he did complain, sometimes, she almost wish he would just scream and yell at her about it, to fix the guilt she really did have over the whole situation. Ezra would never let her feel sorry for herself though, he would tell her that she had been protecting herself and her supplies, and that’s just how things were in the Green, and that he would have done the same, etc, etc, but it didn’t stop her from feeling bad.

Finally, a wave of tiredness washed over the young girl once she had tucked the book away and climbed into her own cot. The lights were moving across the room once more, and she watched them until they disappeared again, into the night, and Cee sighed, closing her lids to face the next day with at least a few hours of decent sleep. She fell asleep to the feeling of Ezra’s wool blanket still wrapped around her like a warm hug, full of his scent and familiarity. 

“Have some tea,” Ezra passed a cup of steaming liquid to Cee, who was tying her boots. She accepted it and smelled it, inhaling the bitter leaf scent, briefly reminding her of another time Ezra had passed her a drink, back in the Green. She quickly pushed away the memory. 

“If we’re fast today, maybe we can catch the film.” Cee watched the floor as she cradled the heated cup in her thin fingers. She glanced up to gage the prospector’s reaction. He was struggling to pull his jacket on, but she didn’t want to offer him help just yet. His eyes met hers, and his expression softened. 

“If you desire a film, I can procure one to bring back to our own quarters-”

“I thought it would be fun to watch with other people.” She said quickly. “In the main room.” 

Ezra thought about it for a moment, the gears in his brain rotating before he stood, trying once more to tug the jacket on. “I certainly wouldn’t wish to keep you from hobnobbing with the others, if that’s what you’re cravin’. I would find myself, however, at a loss in a setting like that, and would favour spending the evenin’ here. No reason you can’t go on alone.”

“I wanted to go with you.” Cee admitted, finally giving in, setting down her tea, and pulling the jacket up the dark haired man’s arm and on his next shoulder. He watched her intently as she buttoned the garment, then gave it a gentle tug before meeting his eyeline. “I thought it would be, I don’t know, fun.” 

They stared for another moment, and Cee hated that she couldn’t read what Ezra was thinking. He was a very bright man, who did an awful lot of thinking, but it was never quite clear where his mind was at one time. He always seemed to surprise her, so it was sometimes best to let the man brew for a minute or two instead of playing any guessing games. 

Ezra finally stepped back and nodded. “Little bird, I would never wish to disenchant you. Should there be time this evening, we will see a film.” 

The walk down to the worker’s strip was silent, as other mechanics moved alongside the pair, all off to their destination of fixing panels, engines, interiors, booters, the works. Cee and Ezra had arrived back to the ship after their Green adventure and had both been sent to the medbay immediately. Cee had used up many of her points to keep Ezra in there. Despite their emergency amputation, he was still quite ill and spent many weeks recovering from the dust’s effects and the blood infection that had spread from his arm. All that plus the addition of the impaled wound in his front. Cee had only required a few days of care, to ensure her lungs were back to their healthy selves. Afterwards, they had moved together to a smaller space, Cee taking what was important from her father’s belongings and scraping the rest. She didn’t want more reminders than needed. 

Reintroducing Ezra into the population was a tiresome process, with many interviews and assessments about what had happened in the Green and whether he was fit to live on the ship. Cee herself had been interviewed as well, forcing her to recount everything that had gone wrong on the moon. She didn’t tell the story with any bias to either her father or Ezra and his former partner, but rather the truth, and the truth as Ezra had taught her - everyone for themselves. It was a ruthless planet. 

After about 30 cycles of meetings and waiting, the board seemed satisfied to allow them to stay, if they continued working. Cee refused to enter school, not after everything she had done, and signed on to work with Ezra, despite his pleas that she graduate properly. 

“You can live as your friends from your novel did,” He argued, but she would have none of it. 

“Nothing I learned helped me when it mattered,” She retorted, the only time Cee had ever raised her voice to Ezra, since the Green. “and I won’t waste anymore time. I’m going to work so we can move to Central. Isn’t that what we want?” 

And now, they entered the workers’ strip where there were pods and ship parts lined up, with tasks listed on big screens with the workers’ ID codes alongside them. Cee knew enough about ships to get by, and with Ezra’s help, they made a fairly decent team. Due to Ezra’s disability, Cee’s request to stay with him for tasks was approved, and they always worked alongside. 

“A drop ship,” Cee said, pointing to their codes on the screen. “Malfunction in the circuit board, new seat liners, cracked viewport..” She mumbled, then looked back to Ezra, who was already looking defeated. She knew he hated working, never mind working fixing ships. His spirit was cramped, and he made it more than clear that he was not meant to live a confined life under the guide of a ship society, but they both knew they needed the points, at least until they could get better jobs. 

“Come on, move it.” The floor manager spoke into a microphone attached to his collar, and he waved a group of cleaners along, and Ezra and Cee took their cue to find their assignment for the day. 

The pod was smaller than the one her father and herself had crashed in, but it was similar enough that her confidence rose as they looked it over, the familiarity of the controls and interior rushing back like a wave of nostalgia. If she focused hard enough, she could almost picture herself with the thrower aimed at a wounded Ezra in the corner.

Cee caught Ezra’s side glance, as if he had been thinking the exact same thing, and he cleared his throat before sliding the door open. “If you get to those circuits, I’ll get to unscrewing the port.” 

Nodding, the light haired girl began to step into the pod before she felt a hand catch her wrist, and she turned around quickly, looking at Ezra, who’s soft face was searching her own. He stared at her for a moment, and visibly swallowed. “This isn’t forever, little bird.’

“I know.” She whispered, and he released her, and for a moment she missed the closeness before entering the pod. 

The circuits were completely fried, and Cee spent the better part of two hours pulling wires and boards apart and carefully braiding in new ones, only mildly shocking herself twice. Outside, the prospector was hard at work taking down the viewport, which had sustained a large crack running from the right hand corner to the opposite side. The outside of the pod was also horribly burned, and Cee wondered where the ship had been sent to, and whether the original passengers were still alive. There was no indication inside the ship that they had passed - no blood or broken seatbelts, but there was a bad feeling inside the pod that reminded her of when her father had passed and she had arrived back to her own drop pod, alone and scared. 

“Cee, I’ll be needing your hands now,” Ezra called from outside, and she hopped out, eager to stretch her back and legs after kneeling for so long. 

The task was simple, holding the new ports in place while Ezra welded and screwed, his focus unmatched as he drilled away, the sparks of the metal reflecting off his safety goggles. Never too eager to work quickly, Cee wondered if Ezra was keen to keep his promise to take her to see a film after their work day, or perhaps he was just so tired he was anxious to finish their day. 

Their tasks were unexpectedly cut short when a loud alarm sounded through the strip, and a bright red light flashed above their heads. Ezra’s arm reached out, quick as lightning, to grasp Cee’s hand, looking around for whatever could be causing the alarm. There was a murmur amongst the workers as they all searched for a sign of what to do, before the floor manager could be seen waving his hands near the door. He cleared his throat over the microphone and tested the sound. 

“Can- can you..? Okay, yes, thank you. Do not alarm yourselves, please, it’s not serious, but we need everyone to return to their personal quarters.” A rise in noise rode in as people raised their voices. “Ladies and gentleman, please! You will be paid in full points for the day., but everyone on ship is being requested to return to their quarters. Now, thank you, that will be all.” 

“Hurry now,” Ezra nudged Cee along, no anxiety in his voice but the tug on her hand made the girl realize that he was trying to get her back quickly. They hurried together, moving past other workers to stride down the hallways, before finding themselves back in their own space, locked away behind shut doors. 

Ezra quickly went rifling through his belongings box, Cee watching from near the door, still listening to the alarm outside. 

“What do you think is wrong?”

“Dunno.” He huffed, shoving something in a knapsack. “Could be the ship malfuctionin’, could be, uh, pirates.”

“Pirates?” Cee laughed, moving to sit on her cot. She fiddled with her hands, not wanting to admit that the sudden disruption had set her on edge. On a low level colony like this one, no one would give two thoughts to abandon the whole ship and people in it if it was set to blow from faulty inner workings. She almost hoped it was something as exciting as pirates. 

The prospector stood fully, pointing at her with an extended finger. He was panting, that wild spirit look he had in his eye when he did something stimulation or illegal. “Well, whatever it may be, we should be prepared to depart like a bull at a gate if need be. So get packin’ a go-bag.” 

He tossed her a pack and turned to tuck a few more items into his own. Cee watched his back with interest. “Where do you think we’re going to go?”

“No reason that an emergency wouldn’t call for the heist of a pod.” 

“You think we’ll be able to steal a pod?” Cee scoffed. “Ezra, there’s hundreds of other people who will have that exact same idea.” 

“But,” he turned, that same look in his eye again as he held up a starter. “They were not sufficiently adroit as I am, my dear. We are primed for a ride in the TY-7867 model, should it suit us.” 

“We can get in a lot of trouble if they find that missing.” Cee stood up now, thinking about the case that all the starters were kept in. She didn’t want to find out what happened to workers who stole keys to the ships they worked on. 

“They won’t find it.” Ezra insisted, pocketing the tool away sitting down to kick his boots away. “Mollify.” 

Not wanting to press it too much, the light haired girl let it go, for now, because she was feeling worse and worse about their life recently. It had been about a year since the events in the Green, Cee and Ezra had grown used to their small living quarters, long work days, and insufficient funds to move elsewhere. Ezra was clearly not built for a life in a ship - he enjoyed mining, prospecting, and exploring, he was a free spirit - he was free as a bird, Cee liked to imagine. The only thing that kept him rooted to the worker’s disposition was Cee herself, and her dream to move to Central, but seeing how overwrought Ezra frequently was with the same routines, day to day, made the young girl conscious stricken. She couldn’t let them live on like that.

After eating, Cee watched the man settle into his cot, a journal in hand. Almost as if he had forgotten the absence of his right hand, he looked around for a moment before adjusting himself to lie on his stomach, laid the journal on the pillow, and tried writing on the page. He wasn’t confident in his penmanship skills with his left, but Cee was glad he still tried. 

“Birdie, will you indulge me with some passages?” 

She peered away for a moment to look at her copy of _Kevva’s Eyes_ laying out on the bed. She hadn’t opened it since the night before, too embarrassed to finish the chapter with Ezra hanging around. 

“Um, from a book? Or..”

“Or something of your own. Your call.” Ezra finished, not looking up from his very focused gaze on the journal. 

Since Cee had finished writing out _The Streamer Girl_ , Ezra had encouraged her to try writing some of her own material, for fun, though he promised she would be able to publish something someday. 

Not wanting to touch _Kevva’s Eyes_ just yet, Cee stood and shuffled over to her box of notepads, and pulled out the one with the most recent notes. Satisfied that she could share it, the girl sat on the floor in front of her cot, and cleared her throat. 

“This is a bit silly,” She started, and looked up to watch Ezra, who met her eyes. 

“Ain’t no such thing when it comes to your musings. Go on,” He encouraged, making her hide a smile.

“Well, I was thinking, would it be kind of neat to write about us? Like, adventures we could have? Stories about battling the Draco Nebula, or exploring the Moon Square, stuff like that. I don’t know.” Cee grinned, looking down at some little notes she had made, and tapped her pen against the sheet. “Things that haven’t happened yet, but, you know, could.” 

Ezra was sitting back up now, beaming with a spark in his eye. “How sentimental that you wish to record our tales on paper. I hope you’re painting a pretty picture of me, now. I expect nothin’ less than a well rounded version of me for your book.” 

“I don’t know about a whole book yet,” Cee blushed. “It’s, just, well. Still an idea.” 

“A wonderful one at that. You’re gonna be a famous writer one day, Cee. Even better if our voyages are what make you so.” He laid back down on the cot, this time turning over onto his back. 

Cee moved closer to the prospector, placing her notepad down and climbing onto her knees in preparation for her proposition. She inhaled deeply. “About that. Our voyages that haven’t been made yet.”

“Mm hmm.”

“I know you’re not happy here. I know you want to leave.” 

Ezra sat back up quickly, turned his body to look down at the young girl. “What makes you think that?” 

“Anyone with eyes can see it.” She twisted her fingers again as she spoke. “You’re not meant to live on a ship, in a colony. At least not a ship like this. Stealing the books, the key - it because you want to go. You want to stay a floater, and I have an offer to make.” 

She paused here, in case Ezra wanted to add anything. His brow was furrowed, like he was deep in thought again, and when he didn’t speak, she swallowed hard and continued. 

“Offer one.” Cee started. “I’ll give you all the points I have, it’ll be enough to get you a lot of supplies and a ride on a transport to wherever you need to go. And you can leave.” 

They were both silent again, the distant humming filling the space like an angry buzz, and Ezra clenched his jaw and looked at his boots. “And you?”  
“I would stay here. Work.”

“Alone?” Ezra scoffed, then grinned ear to ear. “You tryna jettison me?” 

“No!” Cee sighed and rubbed her hand through her hair. “I’m..I’m trying to make you happy. Don’t you understand? You’re not happy here. I know you’re not. We’re probably never going to get to Central, that’s how this is designed. They wouldn’t let people like us up there - they’ll just keep giving us enough points to live on, but never enough to move up. Why do you think my dad took the aurelac job? Those kinds of jobs are the only opportunity. You’ll never leave here unless you escape. I.. I don’t want you to live like that because of me.” 

She pulled her knees up to her chest, resting her elbows on them. That was the most she had spoken in awhile openly, having felt very guilt ridden recently. The light from the viewport shifted across the room, highlighting the cots and where Cee and Ezra sat. She looked up and saw that her friend was staring at her intently. He almost looked angry, if she didn’t know better, though maybe he was mad. She couldn’t see why - this was a solution, not something to be upset over. 

“Are you mad?” 

“Mad? No, I’m a bit confuddled. Do you want to be alone?” 

“No, it’s not about me, it’s about you.” 

Ezra blinked a few times. “Huh. You know my intention is to keep you unharmed? How am I gonna do that floating the abyss?” 

“But you’re not saying that I’m wrong. You do want to leave.” 

“Cee,” Ezra then climbed down off the cot to sit next to her on the floor. Their sides touched and Cee retracted her legs from her front to turn to face him slightly. She kept his gaze, feeling safe in this conversation. “I can’t lie. I’m trapped like a creature in a cage. My verve for exploration bubbles in my mind, but, I contain it. Because I care about you. I won’t leave you, little bird. Not after everything. I can’t.” 

Without thinking about it much, Cee hugged him tightly, and his arm wrapped around her back. She smelled the cheap soap in his curls and she buried her face into the crook of his neck, and her breath came out small and almost emotional. Not wanting to embarrass herself she pulled off and looked away, though his hand lingered on her back for a moment longer.

“I haven’t told you my second offer. Option two.” She peered back up. 

“Fire away.” 

“The same plan. But I come with you.” 

Ezra smirked, watching the her with content features. “You could have initiated with that.” 

“Maybe I was testing you.” She replied, feeling a great weight off her shoulders. Resting her arms on her knees, she sighed with satisfaction. 

Beside her, Ezra nudged her gently. “Won’t be an easy life.” 

“I know.” 

“Lots of salvaging, foraging - You’ll be learnin’ to survive.” 

Cee inhaled sharply. _I’m not helpless_ , she wanted to tell him, but was that true? It felt like everything she had learned from her father hadn’t helped when it really mattered, but then again, herself and Ezra were only alive because of her, though she would never boast about it, especially because of her partner’s permanent disabilities, a direct result of her actions. 

“We can’t stay here,” she spoke eventually. “I’ll learn. I promise.” 

Ezra smiled sweetly, his dark brown eyes searching hers. “ ‘Atta girl. I wouldn’t have any other alongside me. You’re exceptional, birdie. We’ll do well for ourselves out there.” 

“Foraging and salvaging.” Cee repeated, looking out the viewport at the starry night, the dancing lights coaxing her closer with their promise of adventure. 

Ezra cleared his throat, a goofy grin on his face. “And, of course, anything we procure - even split?” 

Cee turned and smiled back. “Of course.”


	2. geyser

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ezra and Cee plan an escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pumped this one out instead of writing an essay. thank you for the few of you who have read! enjoy this chapter <3

_You're my number one  
You're the one I want  
And I've turned down every hand  
That has beckoned me to come_

_'Cause you're the one I got  
You're the one I got  
So I'll keep turning down the hands  
That beckon me to come_

\-------

The next few days were spent quarantining, the colony forbidden from leaving their quarters due to the secretive alarm that had gone off in the strip. No information was put out but protein packs and general supplies were brought door to door for the workers. It was fairly quiet on the ship - no pods were sent off, and no more flashing lights and alarms, no thrower fire or loud commotions, which in Cee’s eyes, made it all the more scary. 

She found herself frequently hovering near the door, looking out the small port that was just above her eye level. Just to try and see if she could spot anything - extra mechanics, board members from Central, _even pirates_ , for Kevva’s sake - anything to indicate what was wrong. Ezra, on the other hand, seemed less than bothered by the change in routine. He spent his days working in his journal, drawing, reading, brewing new blends of tea from the leaves they had managed to save up for. He seemed to be practicing things that exercised his left hand, now to be his dominant hand, but Cee didn’t ask. He also talked non stop. 

As much as Cee enjoyed Ezra’s company, she suspected having spent many cycles with a mute partner had given him the advantage to talk as much as he liked without reprimandation. He tended to chatter for an hour at a time, without out so much as a small break for Cee to get a word in. She didn’t mind it too much, it was better than silence, but frequently she didn’t even understand what he was talking about. 

“Scruples, endlessly. Restless, they were. Always. They wanted more, they were never gratified. I, on the other hand, was ever forbearing. Hence why I am still alive.”

“Right,” Cee replied, unfocused as she stared at her notepad. 

Thankfully everything in the quarters still worked fine, the water ran clear and the heating and cooling vents were still functioning, but Cee feared they might one day shut off, as the board members were sent away, leaving the rest of the colony to die. Ezra told her not to fret, that they had a plan if they needed to leave quickly, and that he was certain they would be fine. 

The other hours that were not spent leisuring were spent planning. Maps of the system helped Cee navitagate where they would go, one of the talents she was quite proud of. Ezra packed and assisted in charting. He charged their throwers and loaded extras of everything they had - clothes, food, batteries, filters, med kits, as well as items that were important to them, such as books and music. They scheduled to leave as soon as the quarantine was over, escaping in the TY model. Cee knew what to remove from the ship to ensure they couldn’t be tracked, though both herself and Ezra knew that in a small worker’s colony like the one they were on, nobody would miss a young girl and a one armed man with a TY pod. 

“We’ll be crossing through here,” Ezra and Cee were sitting on her cot while he showed her a path through the Fog. “It’ll be a few days of journeying before we reach the destination.”

“Which is?” She asked, having forgotten the name of the planet he had mentioned in passing before. 

“Boreas.” Ezra tapped an area on the map - a cluster of rocks surrounding a small planet. “Isolated, removed, and unapproachable.”

“And that’s where you want to go?” 

“In my youth, I traversed there with a companion. It is possible, you just need faith.” 

Companion, the word echoed in her mind. “Filters?”

“Unnecessary. The habitat is respirable, though positively glacial. It won’t be a cordial environment. I’ve packed the filters should we wander to another location.” 

Cee took her tools to measure the distance, turning the large map around to get a better angle. Ezra watched her with interest, impressed by her skill. She wrote on the map with her pencil, doing a quick formula in her head, while muttering under her breath. 

“TY holds a level 85 charge...three cycle fuel..125 times 43, adding the..” She chewed the end of the pencil, deep in thought as she rubbed her knee, her neck mildly aching from having been hunching over, reading the stars for over an hour. “Okay. The trip should take four to five cycles, and we’ll have to refuel mid flight, which means a walk. I’m qualified to do that. Using the charge we can boost most of the way. Without a charge, it would take double that cycle time, meaning at least two walks, but there’s no reason we can’t fuel and charge before leaving.” 

She glanced up and looked at Ezra who had a great look of glee on his face. 

“What?” She demanded, hoping he wasn’t going to make a stupid joke. 

“You’re mighty sharp, Cee.” He laughed. “Your astuteness will save us again, I’m certain.” 

After dinner and settling in for bed, Ezra dozed off, his journal in hand, and Cee turned down the lights and broke out her headlamp, finally daring to pull out her book that she had kept meticulously hidden away in the mattress. Quietly, she opened the novel to the last place she had read, and snuck one last glance at the prospector, making sure he was in fact asleep. He didn’t stir, but was beginning to snore lightly. 

_“Adam,” Stella panted, grasping desperately at her partner.  
“I’m here, I’m here,” his thick hair stuck to his forehead with sweat as he ran his hands up and down the young woman’s body. He pushed into her, tender and passion rooted deep in his belly as he clutched at Stella’s beautiful, dark skin. “Come on, take it, baby.”   
They met with a wonderful rhythm, clawing and grabbing at each other in desperation. The storm raged on outside, blowing at the tent with great ferocity, which only egged the couple on more.   
Their lips met with fevered heat, and Stella moaned into Adam’s mouth as he moved deep inside her, already feeling ready to burst with pleasure._

Cee inhaled sharply. She wondered what Stella was feeling at that moment, emotionally and physically. Losing her mother at a young age meant Cee had relied at her father almost her whole life for everything, and he hadn’t been a particularly open man when it had come to physical relationships and human functions. Perhaps he thought she didn’t need to know much - after all, it had just been the two of them for so long, but the brief stops on colonies led to all that Cee did know about intimacy. She had once spent a few cycles living with a couple of girls while her father had been on a jobsite, all in similar situations to her own. Floaters, whose families were just trying to make a living. 

“I’m so scared,” One girl, named Mal, had whispered, despite it just being the three of them huddled in the room, around a candlelight. She played with her long red braids as she spoke. “My aunt said we might have to turn to, um, Aphro.” 

The other girl, Tessa, looked surprised, and Cee felt at a loss. “What’s that?” She asked, not wanting to be left out. 

Tessa snorted. “Aphro? You know,” she had an accent Cee didn’t recognize, but it sounded kind of snotty. “Getting points in exchange for sex.” 

Cee glanced back to Mal, who lowered her eyes in shame. “Auntie said only as a last resort. But they said they would send me to Central to do it, since I’m not sick. But Auntie would go to Tenser, because of her bad teeth.” 

Mal couldn’t have been more than 15, which is what Cee was at the time, though Tessa looked older than them both. The three sat in silence for a few minutes, none of them seeming to know what to say, until Tessa finally spoke. 

“It only hurts the first few times,” She explained, taking on a maternal tone. “And there’s contraceptive devices, they get implanted in your hip, and the newest ones last up to eight years now.” 

“How do you know?” Mal looked up, her eyes a bit pink. “I thought you were on Calvo like, forever? With your dad and brother?”

“There were other miners there,” Tessa rolled her dark eyes. “Anyways, my point is, there’s worse ways to make money. Most of the time, if you’re working remotely, either way some guy will end up..” She turned to look at Cee, who had been listening intently the whole time. “Well. Young women are hard to come by out there. The guys can be pretty aggressive. Best to be prepared.” 

Mal sniffed loudly. “How am I going to afford a device?”

Tessa held a finger up, running over to her mat on the floor, where her bag was. Her long legs squatted down as she rifled through her sack, before pulling out a smaller bag and hurrying back to the circle. 

Cee glanced inside and saw a bunch of identical colorful packs, in Central text it said ‘Protect!’ in loud lettering. “You bought that many?” 

“No,” Tessa pulled two out. “I stole them. Here. Take one.” 

Neither Mal or Cee moved, and Tessa rolled her eyes again. “It's really easy. It doesn’t hurt. You put the little circle thing on the front of your hip, it shows in the picture,” she pointed to her own. “Then, you place the adhesive gel pack over top, sleep with it on, and in the morning, your skin will absorb it. Creamy as that. Go on, it’s better than getting pregnant.”

The girls each took one, and Cee flipped her around her hand. She couldn’t tell her dad about it. Would he get upset? She didn’t know, but fear gripped her heart as she thought about Tessa’s implications about the male workers forcing themselves upon the women. Her dad would never let that happen. And he would certainly never stoop low enough to ask her to do Aphro work. 

Later, while she laid on her mat, the pack secured to her hip with the cool gel, she hoped her father, Tessa’s father and brother, and Mal’s aunt were safe on the surface, and that they would return safely the next morning as planned. She vowed to listen to her father as long as they worked together, and stay by his side. 

Back in the present, Cee wiped her sweaty palms on her pyjamas, before gently reaching under her waistband to feel the small bump on her hip bone where the device still was. Her father never did find out about it, and she never needed it, and frequently forgot she had it. One of the times it had ever occurred to Cee that it may be put to use was when she had feared for her safety in the Saters’ nest. The horror of discovering the offer of her for the aurelac, and the Ezra having the gall to ask what they needed Cee for, as if it wasn’t evident - she had never ran so fast in her life, away from the men and the terror. She couldn’t imagine what they would have done to her to make her stay, and even worse, if they discovered her device. 

Cee suddenly sat up in bed, feeling very warm. She removed her sweatshirt, sitting on the cot in her thin tee and thermal pants. She panted and ran her hands through her hair. Centering herself, she looked across the room to Ezra sprawled across his sheets, his journal having fallen on the floor. He didn’t give her up. He didn’t take the aurelac. He may have considered it, for the briefest of seconds, but she was alive, and there, and he was too. 

A imposing, flashing red light lit up from the hallway, and a second later, a horrible screeching alarm sounded, and within another second, Ezra was on his feet. 

“Something’s happening,” Cee said, and they ran to the port together, watching as a line of running personnel jogged down the hallway, throwers in hand. They turned a hallway and there was blasting fire heard. “Oh, shit,” She whispered, her breath fogging the window as Ezra quickly turned. She followed him as he started pulling on clothes. 

“Get dressed. Now.” 

“We’re leaving now?”

Ezra tugged on his boots and threw her suit off the hook at the young girl. “Now or never. It’s hijackers, or pirates, whatever suits you. They don’t tote throwers for an engine repair.” 

Cee helped Ezra put on his backpack and then after securing herself in her suit, pulled on her pack as well. They did a quick last check to make sure they hadn’t left anything, before they stood side by side in front of the door. The lights and alarms were still blaring, and it appeared that some colony members were peeking out from their rooms, trying to find the source of the commotion. 

The room felt colder, somehow, and Cee felt a prick of fear rush through her. It was similar to the one she felt whenever herself and her father had left for a job, the loss of familiarity, and the introduction into the unknown. But Cee felt safe and shielded with the prospector, and with a nod, the door rushed open, and Ezra kept a hand on his thrower, taking the lead. Cee felt her own thrower nestled into the holster on her belt, but she kept a hand on Ezra’s pack and played the lookout, scouring the corridors for danger. 

Those who were watching from the doorways observed as the duo stepped past, the lights highlighting their confused and judging faces. Cee felt no connection to the other workers - none of them ever paid each other any mind and she wasn’t about to warn them or offer them a spot on the ship. 

“Ezra!” Cee pointed down the next hall, and there were three men with throwers and one with a large blade, in a stand off with three personnel, dressed in garrison’s clothing from Central, trying to talk them down. 

“Put down the weapons, or we will fire!” One of the soldiers yelled over the alarm. “There’s nowhere to hide!” 

The man with the blade, massive in size and wearing strange, white robbed clothing, with a shaved head, twisted his neck menacingly, before spinning the blade twice in his hand. “Give it to us first, and then we’ll leave peacefully. Unless you want us crawling around your vent shafts any more.” 

“Go, go!” Ezra tugged Cee from her focus, encouraging her to keep moving. 

They reached the strip and ran down the line of crafts, quickly dumping their gear at the base of the TY. Cee opened the fuel door with great speed, hurrying to attach it to the fuel tube. Meanwhile, Ezra closed the strip doors, stabilizing the air pressure to ready the launch doors for opening. 

“You need to crank the charges while I prep inside,” Cee called, yanking the door of the TY open and tossing their packs inside. She glanced over at Ezra, who gave her a thumb up before grabbing the charging ports.

Trusting her partner to complete his task, Cee climbed inside the ship and got to work prepping the takeoff. She pulled out the manual and opened it on her lap while she went through the checklist., quickly taking her thrower off to get it out of the way. The buttons on the board lit up with her touch, a gentle beeping from the circuit steadying her heart rate as she followed the instructions. She had taken off hundreds of times - this one was no different. She could hear the whirring of Ezra’s work outside, and hoped he wasn’t feeling overexerted, from all the stress on his left arm. 

The ship gently rumbled as if yelling, _I’m ready_! Cee tucked the booklet back away and pushed the starter into the board. Turning around in her seat, she called out for the prospector. 

“It’s ready, how are the charge-”

She froze, looking in the ship’s doorway at a man, from the garrison. He had short light hair that stuck to his head with heavy sweat. He swallowed hard visibly, and aimed a thrower on her. 

“Where are you going?” He growled, stepping into the ship. Cee stood, her hand twitching at her side, finding her holster empty. “Are you a worker?” 

“Y-yes.” She clenched her jaw, glancing behind the man. No Ezra. She looked back at the man, and his tag said ‘Copper’. She wondered if she had enough strength to tackle him if she ran with full force. Her chance was pretty good, but he could easily overpower her and shoot her, or knock her out. Her heart felt like it was beating louder than the alarm outside. “I’m doing a-”

“No, you’re not.” Copper interrupted, he looked at her for a moment, before pushing his thrower back in the holster. “You’re stealing a ship.” He strode towards her, fast, and she tried to run around the seats, but he caught her arm roughly and yanked her towards him.

“Stop it!” She screamed, thrashing and flailing as he held her by her biceps, his grip tightening with each flail. “Let go!” 

“Come on, be nice,” he hissed in her ear as he turned her around, pressing his chest flush to her back and twisting her wrists behind her with a painful yank. She struggled again, feeling a bout of strength, but his hold was tight and iron like as she jerked against him in an attempt to get momentum and run away. 

Then, like a flash, Ezra was in the doorway, thrower in hand. 

“Hey-” Copper started. 

**BAM!**

Cee let out a gasp of surprise as she felt the soldier drop behind her and something wet hit her cheek. Panting, she ran two hands through her hair as Ezra hurried into the ship, gently touching her shoulders and trying to meet her gaze. 

“You okay? Birdie?” 

Managing a nod, the girl swallowed hard and glanced at the man on the ground, a clean shot right above his left eye. Blood was pooling down his face, and she looked away. “We have to go, now,” she breathed, and Ezra made to grabbing Copper’s ankles to hoist him from the ship. 

Cee climbed back into the pilot’s seat, bringing the engine back to life. She buckled herself in as Ezra came and joined her, the sound of the door locking behind them the last piece to settle in their plan. He moved into the seat beside her, a huff leaving his chest as he quickly strapped the buckle across his chest. His hand reached out to squeeze hers for a moment, before settling back with a clenched jaw. 

Remembering it like muscle memory, Cee’s hands floated over the controls as the ship shook with the thundering of the boosters. They watched through the port as the launch doors opened above them like a gate into space, beckoning them forward. Amongst the roll of the engines, Cee took a moment to take a deep breath. 

She felt like a character in a novel. This was her call to adventure, her hero’s journey - a story for her and Ezra, her only friend in the world, and the only person she would ever consider leaving the comfort of habituality and routine they had created over the year, and she was stronger for it. The confidence that they would find a new familiarity for themselves gave her that push she needed before she slid the motion handle forward, launching the ship upwards. 

The rockets roared as they took off, guided by the yearn for more, into the stars and farther, to Boreas.

\----------

_Though I'm a geyser  
Feel it bubbling from below  
Hear it call, hear it call  
Hear it call to me  
Constantly  
And hear the harmony  
Only when it's harming me  
It's not real, it's not real  
It's not real enough_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciate all support, thank you so much. 
> 
> Here is a playlist for ezra and cee if you are interested:
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2g0GU5gjsdSMeHOwbYxCXR?si=pDFbZj-fSrysE0M4orsOlQ
> 
> Song this chapter is Geyser by Mitski (a favourite, please listen)


	3. c'est la vie (say the casualties!)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cee and Ezra aboard the TY, enter The Fog.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for all the positivity I've gotten on this fic - it's a small fandom, but everyone is so sweet! Thank you also for your patience, I've had a bit of a bad run, but upwards and onwards! I'm about to start a new semester at university, where I'll be taking a sci fi literature class and another writing class (on theme, lol) and I'm really excited. Anyways. Enjoy this chapter.

_And she's had the ticket  
Clutched in her hand  
Long before you ever heard of the band  
Yeah, she's had the feeling  
Since before she could stand  
Something we could never understand_

\-----------------

Cee closed her eyes as the cloth ran across her cheek, wet with cold water. It was a gentle stroke to get the blood off, as Ezra was ever gentle with her. She sighed as he pulled away, and she opened her green eyes and smiled gratefully. 

“Thank you,” she inhaled, taking the cloth from him to tuck it away.

“My most sincere apologies,” Ezra offered, leaning back in his seat. “My intention was not to soil you with gore, it was an instinctual action.” 

“It’s okay,” she responded honestly. “You did what you needed to.” 

“Were you frightened?” 

Cee swallowed and looked at her boots, one of which had come undone in the tussle. “I was worried he had hurt you, mostly. And that I was going to be arrested.” 

Ezra offered a sympathetic smile, and he tapped his stump playfully. “Would take more than a Gally to off me, little bird, don’t fret.” 

The ship cruised with ease through the vastness, clear of the colony, and free. Cee felt a great surge of pride in their escape, knowing she had done the most to ensure their safety, and felt intense warmth for Ezra, who had finished Copper and had the strength to do what needed to be done. 

Without the stress of taking off, she had a chance to finally have a glance around the TY. She knew the model well enough already, but this would be their new transport, new partial home, and hopefully, a source of warmth and security in their new life. 

Inside the model, it was a fairly open concept. Much bigger than a drop pod, but smaller than the RETs that could house up to eight people at once. There was a built-in trough with running water for washing dishes, along with a small raised counter to prepare food. There was a heating box to warm meals as well, a welcome addition, as nothing was worse than cold food during travel. There were two cots that folded out of the wall on one side, one above the other, packed with pillows and soft but thin wool blankets. Thankfully Ezra had thought to bring extras. Storage bins were tucked neatly against the same wall as the cots, and would be utilized for personal belongings. There was a large window that led to the skies outside the ship, and would let in a wonderful amount of light when they passed by star clusters, meaning they could reserve the ship’s energy by keeping the lights off. Across from the sleeping area was the washroom, if it could be called that. The open concept really left little to the imagination, as the toilet was really the only private aspect. It was separated from the rest of the ship with a sliding door, creating a box for the user, but the basin for body washing was completely out, attached to the wall beside a faucet, which could be used to fill the small tub. Cee tried to imagine Ezra sitting in it and found it a funny image - His long legs and his wide physique squished inside while he tried to wash his hair - she shook the thought away. How would she ever feel comfortable enough to wash in front of him? The tub was a worry for sure, but Cee figured they could address it when the time came. They had both showered the day before, separately, within the privacy of the proper shower stall in their room back at the colony. 

In the floor, there were numerous panels that contained supplies meant to last during space travel - food rations, water reserves, med kits, tools, batteries, manuals, maps, and clothes. This was a stash that would help them greatly, and between what was already on the ship, and what Cee and Ezra had brought themselves, they were set for a good amount of exploring. 

Cee leaned down and retied her shoelace, securing the boot tightly. She reopened her map and consulted her notes, feeling Ezra’s gaze on her as she worked. The coordinates were already in the ship’s system, but since the crash on the Green, the young girl knew there was still a chance of being taken off course. 

“I’ll do regular checks,” She stated, pinning the map above the control board. “Make sure we’re on track. We don’t want to get lost in The Fog.” 

“The Fog,” Ezra echoed, and both their eyelines met that of the huge pink cloud that flooded the ship’s view, a few miles forward. “I must confess, that fuschia eclipse is what afflicts me the most.”

Everyone knew that The Fog was an irregular cloud that had been floating in the 57 Sector since far before Cee was born. It had started at about the size of a large rover, and was now big enough to hide a planet, and then some. It had an opaque thickness to it that made it impossible to see in, never mind fly through. Many ships got lost trying to navigate the cloud’s mass, and what worsened the whole situation was that there was some strange abnormality with The Fog - radio waves were scrambled, meaning anyone in was alone until they reached the other side. Of course, there had been those who were smart enough to navigate their way well in advance, experienced pilots and travellers, who made it out to tell the tales. It was a stationary mass, thankfully, and didn’t cause any real harm, but acted as a separation between a usual travel route and what would be considered a no man’s land on the other side. 

Cee was a smart traverser. She knew her way around maps and she knew how to work the navigation systems. She had studied The Fog out of curiosity in her younger youth, as well as the days leading up to her and Ezra’s escape. She was confident in her ability to get them through safely without getting lost. The main danger was crashing into another ship, as the radars would not work from the inside and the visibility would limit their sight if something was coming their way. Cee prayed they would not meet anyone else. 

While waiting to approach the cloud of pink, Cee and Ezra got to work creating an inventory list of anything they had on board; everything got packed in containers and storage as they noted every ration and tool they had aboard. Ezra was very patient as Cee did math in her head, figuring how long it would be before they would need to stop somewhere to purchase more supplies. 

“We have a good amount of points to get us going,” Ezra mused, looking at the point holder in his hand. “There’s a port, in the deep. Could do a supply run there.” 

“A port?” Cee tucked her legs under her as she folded clothes in a bin. “On a ship?”

“No,” Ezra sighed and put the holder away. “On ground. Falaichte. It’s a trading port for floaters, good atmosphere and full of undesirables.” 

“So it’s not safe?”

“Safe enough for what we’ll need. We won’t be finding a more welcoming option, if that’s what you’re getting at.” 

Cee closed the lid as she spoke, tucking the clothes away near the cots. “Have you been there before?”

“In jejuneness, I ventured there. Not much to speak of. Like I’ve said, it will have what we need, and that’s what’s significant. Going by your calculations, we won’t need their services for some cycles, so best not think of it now.” Ezra handed her the clipboard with their inventory on it. “Seems we’re quite set. Nothing forgotten.” 

“Good.” Cee stood and stretched, having been sitting for quite some time. Her hands could touch the ceiling of the ship, which was right above Ezra’s height line. “I need to get the panel ready for The Fog.” She gestured to the front, where they were almost entering the cloud, as its volume was beginning to consume the ship. If she looked long enough at it, The Fog had almost a gentle shimmer. It was quite beautiful, really. 

Climbing into the flight seat, Cee shut down all that wouldn’t work within the pink, including their radio, radars, and outside lights, which would save them battery power while they traversed through. The map was still stuck to the board, filled with her notes and math, and she took a deep breath as the ship began moving into The Fog. 

A hand came to rest on her shoulder, and she looked up to see Ezra’s gentle smile looking down at her. 

“I have my full faith in you, birdie. Full speed ahead.” 

Ezra had decided to rest, and was napping on the cot above Cee, where she sat on the mattress with a warm blanket around her shoulders. A pink filter had taken over the interior of the ship, coming from outside, and was bound to give her a headache within a few hours, but she tried to focus on her book instead. Past the sex scene in her novel, Cee continued to read, feeling the tension building in the novel. She only had a few chapters left, and was eager to finish and see what happened. 

She read until her eyes were sore, and the hum of the ship had turned into a meditative drone. Ezra was still snoring above her, deep in dreams. Worried he would be thrown off a regular sleep schedule but aware he was probably exhausted, she didn’t bother to wake him, but tucked her book away and laid on her back, resting her head on the pillow. Cee watched the bottom of the cot above her for a while, thinking of theories about the ending of her book. She liked to try to guess what was going to happen next, and it occurred to her that Ezra had asked to read the novel after she was done with it. The thought of him knowing she had read the same intimate scenes was all the embarrassing, and without much prompting, she turned bright red under the image. 

With her thoughts wandering back to the tent scene of Kevva’s Eyes, Cee grew warmer under the thick blanket and her thermal wear, and squirmed under the sheets in discomfort. She longed to know how Stella felt, to feel the hands of someone who cared for her on her bare skin, and without thinking much else, Cee unbuttoned her pants. 

She paused, listening to Ezra’s steady breathing above her, and making sure he was still asleep. It was horrible, and dirty, and shameful to do such a thing with him in the room - but she didn’t stop, confidently dipping her hand down her bottoms to feel herself. She was slick with the thoughts of the writing she had read, and took a few moments to get comfortable - spreading her legs a little more and settling into her pillow. 

While living with her father, Cee would never have dared to perform such a deed in the same space as him, whether he was asleep or not. With Ezra, she had only done it twice to count, once in the shower and once while he had been sleeping, but she had felt so embarrassed and bad after, it was a rare occurrence to do it again. 

But now, the blonde haired girl was rubbing circles between her legs, squeezing her eyes shut and picturing a fantasy scenario where she was locked in a tent, underneath a handsome man, whom she pictured to be like Adam from her book. 

His strong arms supporting her body as he raised her legs in the air, pushing into her with care and ease. His whispers ghosting over the shell of her ear, tickling her and standing the hair on her neck straight up. 

Cee rubbed faster, slicking her fingers again to get a better traction going. She was clenching her jaw hard, barely making any noise other than a quiet pant through her nose. 

Swearing she could feel what Adam would smell like, Cee’s fantasy began to morph into her being on top, rocking her hips on top of the big man, feeling her stomach, her chest as she worked herself on the imaginary man. Her confidence in the scenario was far more than what Cee knew she would have in real life, but she kept the thought going anyways. 

Sweat gathered behind her knees as she bent her legs to give herself more access. The buildup was hard, her arm was cramping and her fingers were sore, and she was desperate to just get it over with, just thinking of all the things she knew she would want to experience with a man. His mouth on her, exploring, hands wandering over every part of her body. Knowing just what to do to bring her over the edge. 

Then the fantasy morphed again, and she imagined the tickle of a familiar moustache as lips grazed across her stomach, her hands met thick hair, and she imagined looking down to see a set of warm, dark eyes and that gentle smile she saw so frequently.   
As quickly as she had started, Cee retracted her hand and sat up. “No!” She whispered, panting. What was she thinking? Imagining Ezra like that? She swallowed thickly, wiping her hand on her blanket with mild shame, then quickly tied her hair back with an elastic from around her wrist. 

Buttoning her pants back up, Cee quietly padded across the floor to the kitchen ware and tugged out an electric kettle, then tore open a bag of loose leaves to boil. She watched the machine light up bright blue, little bubbles forming in the hot water as the tea brewed. 

She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck, which was damp with heat, and she tried to avoid thinking about what had happened, with no avail. 

Surely it was fairly natural that she would’ve thought about her friend like that - she had so rarely had interactions with men that weren’t her father, and her thinking like that certainly didn’t mean that she actually wanted to be intimate with Ezra. 

As for some horrible karma, Cee heard Ezra shuffling out of the cot behind her, his ‘tea sensor’ going off as he yawned and moved towards her. 

On cue, “Makin’ tea?” He asked, stretching his good arm across his body. 

“Yes,” Cee shook the kettle a little. “Your leaves, if that’s alright.” 

“Plenty to go around,” Ezra yawned again as he bent down to sit on one of the cushions they had set out for meals and tea. “That cot doesn’t have much in terms of comfort. I’ve got a twinge in my shoulder.” 

“You slept for a long time,” she poured the hot liquid into two thermos cups, handing one off to her friend. She cringed when their hands brushed, knowing she hadn’t wasted water washing her hands and felt wholly mortified. Ezra, none the wiser, took the cup gratefully with a smile, the same smile she had pictured moving down her body, and Cee looked away quickly, should her expression give her away. Trying to avoid anything remotely close to what she was thinking of, Cee finished her thought. “Reminded me of my dad.” 

“I remind you of your dad?” He sounded almost hurt, if she didn’t know better. 

“No, that’s not quite what I meant.” She moved to sit on the cushion across from him, folding her legs and cradling the steaming tea in her hands. “I just meant - well, my father used to take lethargy drops to help him sleep. He would sometimes be out for twelve, sixteen hours. I was alone. That’s why reading and writing helped me. Something to pass the time.” She took a sip of the drink, even though it burned her tongue. “I have trouble sleeping. Everything is too loud, too bright, too hot or cold - I envied him. I just wanted to disappear like he did, go somewhere else, even if it was just a little bit.” 

“Like _The Streamer Girl_.” Ezra finished. 

“Like _The Streamer Girl_.” Cee confirmed. 

They sat in silence, sipping and blowing their tea, the pink ambiance creating a foregin glow in the ship and casting everything in fuschia. Ezra eventually set down his cup, and tilted his head a little, catching Cee’s eyes, and softened his face. 

“I won’t be that for you.” He breathed, and she froze, her own breath catching in her throat. “I won’t ever leave you, emotionally, physically. I will have my querulous moments, there will be cycles that you need elbowroom, but I will not have you feeling like an afterthought. Clear?” 

“Clear.” She echoed, feeling warmth bubble into her chest. 

Ezra grinned. “C’mere.” He opened his arm, and careful not to spill their mugs that were on the floor, Cee reached and met her friend’s embrace, relishing in the smell of the cheap hair soap and fresh tea. He held onto her like she might fly away, and maybe he was worried she might - after all, she was his little bird. But she silently promised the same thing; she wouldn’t ever leave him. 

The light in the ship flickered for a moment, and the pair froze, before pulling away to listen. The light flickered once more, before the ship lurched to the side, spilling their tea and sending them sliding to the left. 

“Another ship?’ Ezra called, scrambling to stand, as Cee half crawled, half dragged herself into the pilot’s chair, looking around frantically for any signs of distress. She looked out the glass, seeking the cause of the swaying. Another violent invisible wave sent the ship rocking as Ezra made his way back into the seat beside her. 

A huge flash of light momentarily blinded the pair, and a big streak of white sprayed across their view, like branches of a tree, and Cee swallowed hard, quickly buckling herself into the seat with fumbling fingers, then wrapped her hands around the controls. 

“No, it’s worse. It’s an energy storm.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> song for this chapter was C'est La Vie (Say the Casualties) by Neon Indian. You can find my Prospect playlist at this link 
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2g0GU5gjsdSMeHOwbYxCXR?si=iIaVKngGQJ-vYg6cTa6MdA
> 
> All support is appreciated. Say hi over at my tumblr, @worlds-forgotten


	4. spirit in the sky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cee and Ezra suffer the consequences of the storm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! Hi! Hello! Oh my goodness, I'm at a loss for words for how many sweet people have been encouraging me and my writing with lovely comments. I'll add here that I've just begun a new semester at university and was a bit busy, so I appreciate all the patience and support. This fanfiction is so much to write and I love the small crew I have who are interested in continuing to read it. Thank you again, and enjoy this chapter.

_When I die and they lay me to rest  
Gonna go to the place that's the best  
When I lay me down to die  
Goin' up to the spirit in the sky_

\------------

Knuckles turning white around the joystick of the ship, Cee clenched her jaw, baring her teeth as her eyes tightened, focusing all her energy on keeping the TY straight through the tremors of the storm. 

“Steady now,” Ezra hissed, flicking on the backup power switch. 

“No!” Cee flicked it back off, quickly returning her hand to the stick. “If we use all of the battery, I’ll have to do a walk and I can’t do that in the storm. We’ll just have to rely on the main core to work it.” Another shake rattled the ship, and Cee held into the controls tightly, steadying the rocking with a quick jerk. She had her legs spread open with her feet firmly on either side of the chair, bracing her body from being flung out of her seat. Ezra reached across her body to wrap her seat belt across her chest and middle, before securing the buckles into place. He patted her arm and settled back in his own seat, squeezing his eyes tightly. 

His fast muttering began, quiet whispers at first,, before they became more coherent and loud. “With two hands, you wouldn’t to do all the...if they built ships for weakened individuals..no young girl should be tasked with all the bearings-”

“Stop that,” Cee glared at him through wisps of loose hair in her eyes. “I can handle it. Make yourself useful and open the navigator. Tell me the pinpoint.” 

Ezra opened a panel on the control board, revealing an electronic compass underneath, flicking with blue lights and running numbers across the screen. He tapped the screen a few times, and looked up at Cee. “Not working.”

“No, the manual one,” She pointed at the panel next to it. “In there.” 

A huge flash of lightning struck across the view port and inside the ship, and the control board sparked brightly. Cee recoiled her hands with a gasp, merely avoiding being shocked, and the whole ship went dark. Only the breathing of the pair was heard inside, with the storm outside humming loudly. The TY rocked to the left sharply, and Cee gripped the chest straps of her seatbelt, squeezing her eyes shut as they were shaken over and over. She felt Ezra’s hand reach out to grasp hers, gripping her just tight enough to hurt, but yet, it never seemed to bother her when it was him. 

The clicking of seat buckles coming undone centered Cee as she took a deep breath. Time had passed slowly, herself and Ezra staying in their chairs until the storm had finally calmed. The darkness inside the ship was only combated by the bright pink fog outside, casting that glow into the interior. The ship was simply stationary, dead in the abyss of the cloud, but the storm had passed and they were safe, for now. Cee stayed in her seat while Ezra stood and practically pressed his face against the view port, glancing at the outdoor world. His breath fogged the glass and he looked both left and right, before heaving a great sigh. 

“I didn’t know there could be such a storm in The Fog.” He admitted. 

“Neither did I,” Cee swallowed hard and reviewed their options for getting the TY back up. There was the backup power, but she wanted to reserve it if possible, as they would need it to make it through The Fog without her having to leave the ship for a space walk and refuel. They could try and boost the core with energy from something else on the ship, but the only battery big enough would be the one that heated the water, which might have been fried as well. No harm in checking, Cee figured. 

She climbed out of the chair and kneeled in front of the washing basin, and felt underneath it. A switch opened a panel in the floor, which she opened carefully as Ezra came to squat next to her. 

“What are we lookin’ at?” 

“The battery that charges the water heater should be big enough to boost the main power core of the ship, but that means we won’t have hot water for the wash, unless we boil it manually with the kettle.” She glanced back at Ezra. He shrugged and grinned. 

“The Green didn’t have any warmth for ablutions, so I am not opposed to a cold rinse. Let’s get that battery out.” 

He rose to retrieve the tool box, and Cee got to work taking apart the heater to procure the sought after battery. With Ezra’s extra hand, they worked quickly, though the space was a bit cramped, they managed to separate the parts, gently setting aside the section they needed, while keeping the rest of the heater intact. Perhaps if they stopped at Falaichte, the trading port, maybe they could find a replacement battery. It was hopeful but unlikely, but there was no point in neglecting to take good care of the equipment nonetheless. 

“Good extraction.” Ezra held up the unharmed battery. “With better training, you would have made a wonderful aurelac miner.” 

“I would prefer not to think about that,” Cee admitted, climbing over the panels to grab the ship’s booklet off the control board. The thought had crossed her mind before, if her father had only trained her, maybe the whole final chapter of the journey on the moon would’ve gone much differently. “I need to see how to access the core power.” 

She opened the booklet, running her finger along the table of contents, and found the page she was looking for. Ezra was sitting on the floor, turning the heating battery around in his hand, which was a bit bigger than his palm. 

“Funny to ponder how this little contraption could boost the whole TY.” 

“Shit,” Cee stared down at the notes in her hand, and ran her hand through her hair. “The access panel for the core is on the outside.” 

“What about the backup power?” 

“Since the lightning fried the main battery, we’ll need that backup power for once we’re out of The Fog,” Cee explained, climbing into the pilot’s seats to open the manual compass. They were too far inside the cloud to think they could manage without power. She heaved a great sigh. She knew what she had to do, and Ezra knew what she had to do, but neither spoke for a few minutes, staring at the viewport, out into the pink. 

Ezra cleared his throat. “A walk. Might as well get out and push, it’ll have the same effect.” 

“I can do it.” Cee wasted no time crossing the ship to grab the tool box and her suit, but Ezra’s fast hand reached out and captured her wrist. She nearly got yanked onto the floor with his iron grip, and she looked down angrily at him, as if ready to scold a child. “Let go.”

“I know you can do it, there’s no doubt in my mind. But you shouldn’t have to.” 

“It’s fine. Just get a comm and talk me through the manual.” She looked into his eyes, deep brown pools, and they pleaded silently. She knew how many times he had been left behind, and her heart softened. “Please.” She added. “I’ll be fine.”

With a nod, Ezra released her and climbed into the pilot’s chair, while Cee pulled out a suit and helmet, and began to prepare herself for the walk. Each zipper done up was securing her belief in herself - she had done this, she could do this. Easy as every time in her past. When Cee had first learned to do a walk, her father had shown her, and never done it again after that. Perhaps it was reckless behaviour, letting his only daughter brave the vacuum of space to fix or fuel a ship, but it had occurred to Cee before that there may have been a deeper thought process to Damon’s demands. If her father had gone to perform a dangerous task and not survived, Cee would be orphaned and vulnerable in a world of cruel and heartless beings, whereas if she suffered the consequence of a minacious job, her father could maybe handle the loss of his last family member. 

And maybe she was thinking into it too much, Cee mused as she tugged on her gloves and secured them to the sleeves of the suit. Her breath came calm and relaxed as the helmet went over her head, the familiar click of the covering easing her into a sense of security. She had done this, she could do this. 

The suit was too big and bagged uncomfortably around her shins and wrists where the fabric met her boots and gloves, but it would keep her safe. She picked up the tool box, and the battery, the weight of the devices heavy in her hands, and she turned to Ezra, who was reclined in the seat, booklet in hand. 

“Every day you have the semblance of a true floater more and more.”

Cee smiled genuinely, and pointed at the booklet. “Have you directed a walk before?”

“Yes, Ma’am, I’ll handle it just fine. Now, don’t you go levitating away on me, go secure your line and I’ll test the comms.” 

Following her friend’s order, she went through the small airlock, feeling mildly claustrophobic as the door hissed shut behind her, now only one more gate between herself and the extensive pink outside. 

Inside the ship, through the small port, Cee could see Ezra place his headset on, and he said something she couldn’t hear, then he waved to her, tapped his ear and held up four fingers. On the front of Cee’s suit, there was a small electronic panel that displayed her oxygen levels, the time, and her comm signals and channels. She dialled the radio to the fourth channel, and was instantly comforted by the gentle breaths of her cherished partner. 

“Little bird?’ 

“Clear.” She spoke back. “I’m going to tether.” 

On the wall, there was a wind of thick cable, with a carabiner at the end that was attached to a clip on the waistline of Cee’s suit. After untangling the tether, she attached it to her front and gave it an experimental tug, ensuring she would not drift away once outside of the ship. Ezra was still breathing into the microphone, which filled her helmet, and her cheeks grew warm with the memory of her imagination from earlier. Not now - she wanted to slap herself - it was not the time, not by any means. 

“Give me the OK and I’ll extend the slide for you.” His voice was comforting and kind through her comm, and she took a deep breath, relishing in the safety she felt in that moment, despite her mission. 

“Clear. Open the slide.”

The door whooshed open and she instantly felt that pull from the outside, that jolted her off her feet for a moment, and she grabbed the cable in one hand, and the tool box with the battery in the other, and walked forward. She stood in the frame of the hatch for a minute - without the obstruction of the quartz glass, Cee could bask in the beauty of the pink cloud. 

The irony of something so magical causing so much damage to their journey did not escape Cee, but she grinned nonetheless, reaching out to run her fingers through the fog. It left a trail as the fuschia swirled and danced around her digits, beckoning her forward. She had been right before - there was a faint shimmer in the cloud that sparkled brightly as she watched closely. Almost like the cloud was alive. Breathing, moving, cavorting at its own accord. Letting out a gentle laugh, Cee stepped off the comfort of the airlock and let the weightlessness of her body drift forward for a moment, propelled by the lack of gravity. 

“Beautiful,” Ezra whispered in her ear, and she didn’t need to say anything for him to know she agreed. 

Reaching forward, Cee pulled herself back to the wall of the ship by grabbing the bars that were secured for this purpose, and she rested her helmet against the panel. “Okay. Which one?” Her eyes searched the code that was written along the panels, numbers and letters, some of which faded, and waited patiently as she heard Ezra flipping through pages. 

“TY-AP-47.” Her partner’s answer came clear through the comm. 

Following the handle bars, the cool touch of metal seeping through the gloves, Cee tugged herself along, reading the codes on the side panels, until the right when came into view. 

She opened her tool box and tugged out a magnetic key, which she pressed against the wall and it clicked open. Inside, she could see the engine, cold and dead as the rest of the ship, with some burn marks, as if it had sparked. Not wanting to get anxious yet, Cee took a deep breath and got to work getting out her tools, placing the ones she needed into her belt. 

“Got it.” She panted. “Which wires do I swap out?” 

It was about now that Cee was wishing she had more experience with a TY. If it was a drop pod, or even a 27-O, she could do it with no help at all, but now she was relying on an old manual and Ezra’s guidance. 

“There’s a thick red wire intertwined with a black one that must be detached first, but don’t leave it raw, put it right in the battery.” 

With sturdy hands, Cee clipped her tool box to her belt, and began carefully untwisting the coloured ligaments with her pliers, then grabbed her battery to replace. Sweat beaded on her forehead inside the helmet, her body temperature rising slightly as she finished the first task. She put the battery inside the panel beside the core and sighed. “Okay, what next?”

Ezra flipped a page and hummed. “Now, there’s a cable you’ll need for the boosting. Should be about two inches, black. Can you see it?” 

The cable was not visible, and Cee reached into the panel, feeling for it instead, knowing it would have to be behind. If the ship had been awake, she wouldn’t have dared to stick her hand inside the core so carelessly, but she was eager to get them back on course. She wrapped her hands around something small and soft - she frowned, it could have been a glove or cloth someone left inside accidentally while doing maintenance. When she pulled her hand out to see what she had found, she let off a short shriek and let go with a recoil of her arm. 

“Cee? Cee!” Ezra’s panicked voice came through the comm. “I’m coming out!”

“No, no!” She panted, watching the thing float away. “It was..some small animal. Fried inside the core. Sorry. It just surprised me.” 

“Sweet Kevva, girl.” Her partner laughed. “Gave me a fright.” 

“Okay, I got the cable.” Cee reached back in, feeling the heavy wire in her hand, and tugged it out, seeing an adapter at the end. She plugged it into the heater battery, and let herself breath in relief. “That’s it, right?” 

“Yeah, winding the cable now.” 

She closed the panel and placed her tools back in the box, then felt the tug of the tether pulling her back in around the waist. Relishing in the floating sensation, she closed her eyes, letting The Fog around her help carry her weightless body back to the airlock doorway. The whirring of the tether winding back up was the only noise in the silence of her view, beautiful and shining and bright. With a small smile, Cee took one last look before stepping into the space and closed the door. 

The hissing of the airlock pressurizing was loud, and Cee watched Ezra run up to the port, a big goofy grin across his features. When the system was finished, the gate slid open as she tugged off her helmet, her hair pasted to her scalp. 

Ezra hurried forward and tugged her into a tight hug, shaking her with a hearty laugh. He pulled away but held his friend by her shoulder, flashing his teeth with a smile. “Shit, Cee! You did it!” 

“Don’t get too excited,” she scolded, knowing they weren’t out of the mud yet, but couldn’t help in sharing a smirk. 

“Are you okay?” He asked seriously now, looking her up and down, earning him an avoidance in eye contact from Cee as she felt flushed again. “No sparks, engine fire?” 

“Just some dead rat.” She stepped back inside the TY with her partner, tugging off the gloves and flexing her fingers. “Try the starter, see if we get the boost.” 

As she hung up her suit and kicked off her boots, she came to stand behind Ezra, who sat back in the main chair. He picked up the starter and rolled it in his fingers, anxiously fiddling with it. Neither of them were sure what they would do if the boost didn’t work, so it was all riding on this moment. Cee placed her hands on his shoulders, giving him a gentle squeeze. He nodded, his curls bouncing with the movement, and he placed the starter in the keyhole, and twisted his wrist to switch it. 

Silence, louder than any noise, echoed through the ship. Cee was holding her breath, and watched in great sadness as Ezra twisted the key again and again, clenching his jaw tightly in anger. She stepped back and rubbed and hand through her hair, taking a deep breath. 

“Stupid fucking goddamn piece of-” Ezra hissed, and then, like a miracle from Kevva, the ship suddenly lurched, and began humming loudly, the light flickering on with life. 

They both looked around in shock, and he threw his fist in the air with excitement, leaning back in his chair and laughing loudly. “Yes! Yes! Thank you, thank you!” 

Cee collapsed on one of the cots, sighing deeply with relief and joy as she felt the thrum of the core running beneath them, breathing essence into the TY. The battery would get them out of The Fog, then they could use the backupl, and they would make it to Boreas. She was beaming with the thrill of success, survival, and happiness, and while Cee knew they would face many more trials during their journey, they could take this moment to stew in the ebullience of making through the first chapter of their new adventure. 

\--------

_Prepare yourself you know it's a must  
Gotta have a friend in Jesus  
So you know that when you die  
He's gonna recommend you  
To the spirit in the sky_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song this chapter is Spirit in the Sky by Norman Greenbaum!
> 
> This felt a bit like a filler, but I hope everyone catches the little moments that show the growth and connections Cee and Ezra keep making! I'll get right to the next chapter, so hopefully there won't be too long of a wait.
> 
> All my social media is listed here, so if you want to come and chat with me, I've been making lots of friends recently and am always happy for more! 
> 
> I would also like to add that I'm not sure what's going on with the formatting, AO3 seems to hate me because sometimes it likes my HTML and sometimes it doesn't! I apologize for the inconsistency haha
> 
> Also I'm never going to stop plugging my playlist for Cee and Ezra - It's the only thing in life I love right now. Check it out! 
> 
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2g0GU5gjsdSMeHOwbYxCXR?si=gWq_bpNcTY61FN7YMCfhgQ


	5. neon moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cee and Ezra land on Boreas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter, woot! 
> 
> I've been really enjoying my weekly watching of the film lol, I have to keep those juices flowing! I also forgot to mention the arrival of my Prospect Collector's package a few weeks ago! I bought it from the Taka Collective website (it's sold out now though sadly), and it came witch stickers, a patch, posters, character cards, and a booklet about the equipment from the film and the Green Moon. It's super cool and totally worth it. There's some other merch available on the website, I would definitely suggest checking it out! 
> 
> Enjoy the chapter! <3

_I think of two young lovers  
Running wild and free  
I close my eyes and sometimes see  
You in the shadows of this smoke-filled room_

\----------------------

“This doesn’t make any sense,” Cee looked down at her hands, the cards’ colours dulled from years of use. “I had 4 tellers.”

“Your tellers don’t mean all if I have a wicker.” Ezra showed a card with an unfamiliar symbol on it by tossing it between them, and Cee huffed in annoyance. “Unbiased, I did have quite a bit of time to perfect my game playing.” 

“You and..Number Two played?” 

“A surprisingly polished weft player.” Ezra scooped up the cards and attempted to shuffle them, then handed them off when it proved difficult. “Don’t need to orate to do the game.” 

“I suppose,” Cee could smell the faint scent of the green in the cards, years of wear filling the thick paper. “I guess you were pretty happy to find others who could talk.” 

“Words could not recount the elation I experienced stumbling across talkers, birdie. And how glad I am one of them was you, even if you’re a bit taciturn yourself.” 

She smiled and handed Ezra his hand for another round of weft, before noticing his eyes fixated on something behind her, and when turning around, realized with joy what he was watching. 

The last wisps of The Fog were leaving the view of the ship’s port, opening up to a vast sky full of stars and the faint outline of a planet. Stars were shining their brightest and Cee relished in the sight of the dark curtain behind them. 

It had been three cycles since the storm and the space walk, and the pair were settling nicely into their routines. Cee had figured out that without the alarm to leave for maintenance work, and no other responsibilities looming over them, Ezra would sleep like the dead for hours past a normal person’s schedule, and she used this to her advantage. While he slept, she took to bathing, cleaning and charting, writing, reading, and cooking, which is what usually roused her slumbering partner from his cot. When he was awake, they would partake in games of weft cards, sharing readings, making tea blends, and drawing. Cee had increased her talent in the card game, though Ezra was still a far better player. When he won, he would make Cee read aloud to him as a reward, and the two times she had beat his hands (possible that he forfeited on purpose), she would request he show her how to make one of his tea recipes. 

“This will give the drink a more pervasive taste if one adds too much,” He held up a purple leaf. “But just enough creates a sweet harmony when amalgamated with the mint.” 

And Cee clung to every word and story, even when he chattered on about nothing she had the experience to understand. Like when he mused about his history traveling with other floaters or his journeys on foreign planets. He liked to talk about his findings - poems, old books, trinkets, gems, strange animals - and Cee wished she could have seen it all with him. She knew he kept clippings and torn out pages printed in Classic English Text in his journal, secret passages that meant something to him; she had caught glimpses of what lay inside the tattered old leather diary. But he hadn’t shared those findings yet and Cee hadn’t asked about them. There would come a time when Ezra would share that part of him with his friend, and until then, Cee wouldn’t pry for that part of the prospector. 

Continuing to work on her own writing as well, Cee had liked to write on the cot, laying on her stomach, with Ezra snoring above her. When she bathed, she did it fast and without boiling any warm water (to avoid Ezra’s tea sensor going off and therefore waking him), though she loathed washing in the cold. When her partner bathed, just once so far, Cee was listening to her music while lying on her cot, and he had tapped her shoulder and told her to flip over to avoid seeing his ‘pudendum’, and she had turned away so quickly she could have gotten whiplash. A quick glance in his direction had led her to seeing his back as he pulled off his sweater - beautiful and golden brown - but covered in scars. Whether they were accidentally or purposefully inflicted, they were light and vast, and Cee didn’t bring it up, instead turning up her headphones and huddling on her side, facing the ship wall. 

Their cycles had been full of warmth and shared quality time, eagerly awaiting the end of The Fog, and now their waiting paid off. 

“I reckon it’s time to speed things along and use that backup.” Ezra tapped her knee and stood, moving to the port. “Damn, that pink really fried my rods and cones.” He commented, squinting at the bright stars outside. 

Cee followed him forward after putting the cards back in a recycled stim gum box, and sat in the pilot’s chair. She flicked a switch and listened to a quiet rattle from the core, before the ship hummed just a bit louder, warm and ready to take them to Boreas. She turned a dial to regulate how much power was being used from the backup, before flicking another switch, and the TY began moving just a bit faster than before. 

She agreed with Ezra, the pink hue that had overtaken their sight for the last few days had become the norm, and now the sky was filled with blinking stars, which were difficult to look at for longer than a few seconds. It reminded her of a time long ago, just on the cusp of her memory, sometime from Kamrea. 

_Waking up to loud crying, she climbed down from an uncomfortable bed and padded across a dark room, to where her door was a sliver open. Cee, who couldn’t have been more than four, peeked her head out, listening for where the sounds were coming from. The light on the ceiling was so bright, her eyes kept shutting involuntarily, but she tried hard to keep them open. In the small home, there was a living room space with a couch, where her mother sat, her face buried in her hands. Cee felt a pull to go and say something, but she saw her father kneeling on the floor in front of the couch, trying to pry her mother’s hands away._

_“We need you,” He begged, and Cee could see he was also crying, streams of silent tears running down his clean shaven face. This was a different time._

_Her mother shook her head and let out a raspy gasp, her body shaking with sobs. She tugged herself away from her husband. “I can’t, I can’t-”_

_Damon let his head fall forward to press against his wife’s knees, and he clutched her tightly, crying into her, a sound that was foreign and horrible._

_“Helene.” He pleaded. “Think of..”_

_Cee saw both her parents meet her eyes at the same time - all pairs salty and overfilling and full of emotion. Her mother smiled. Damon stood quickly._

_He stiffened, his face wet and red. “Go back to bed, Cee.”_

_The lights were blinding._

“Look, birdie, look at that!” Ezra was grinning wildly out the window as Cee was washing the dishes from their meal. She glanced up to see Boreas well within their view, so close she could see the surface colours and the clouds above. 

Ezra was piloting, happily sitting in the chair with a stomach full of Cee’s cooked food, though all she had really done was open up a ration pack and heat it, but he always thanked her like she had grown the food herself. After so much time eating mainly chocolate bars, she supposed he was thrilled to consume anything else. 

Ezra brought the ship to a gentle idle, setting themselves into the orbit of the planet. Cee stood up to stand beside her partner, looking down at Boreas. It was gray and white, cloudy, and there were visible storms towards the West, with the great fogs swirling in circles above the landscape. 

“Looks welcoming,” she joked, already feeling like there was a chill in the air. 

Ezra chuckled and shrugged. “It’s not a typical vacation resort, no, but we won’t be here for too long. Just to harvest.” 

Even the word harvest sent a shiver down Cee’s back, and she shifted on her feet. “Right.”

Sensing her unease, Ezra looked up at her with concern. “Just a few cycles, there is not a single other soul in sight, I promise you. Very few journey here, which makes what we’re getting so precious. We drop, camp out for a couple of cycles, get some crystal, and fly off to Falaichte. No worries, just us and the cold.” 

Humming in response, Cee was still a little nervous, but she let it settle in the back of her mind for now, there wasn’t time to be having doubts now. 

“Do you want to ground us?” She asked, and Ezra beamed, switching on the balancer in response, and Cee climbed in the seat next to him and buckled into her chair. 

The ship groaned a little as Ezra steadied them, and he looked through the scope at their destination, using Cee’s map pinned to the control board as reference. The booklet was open on the instructions for landing, but Ezra appeared confident in his abilities as he lined up his eyes with the scope and flicked the booters to face up, their gentle whirring beginning to bring the ship downwards, towards the surface. He laughed as they neared the atmosphere with ease, and snuck a glance at his partner, who was grinning back. 

As they got closer to solid ground, flurries of white began to blow around the ship, sending the TY rattling a bit as Ezra gripped the joystick harder, cursing quietly. They broke through the cloud barrier, and even with the ship’s lights, all that could be seen was white. 

“Shit,” Cee strained to look out the port. “You can’t even see the ground.” 

Ezra gave up using the scope and just looked at their sensors, which were giving indications of how many more feet there was until the ground. The number was dropping rapidly, and he calmed the boosters with a dial, slowing the engines and bringing them down with a dodgy landing, the ship teetering for a minute before dropping securely. Cee instinctively reached out to grab Ezra’s shoulder with a jolt, the touch sending electricity through her as they laughed with success. 

“Thank you,” Ezra said sincerely. “I’ve felt rather ill-disposed lately. A chance means a lot.” 

“Well, I already do all the cleaning and cooking around here.” Cee shot back playfully. 

“You don’t have to, I am capable.” 

“If you napped less, maybe I would let you.” Cee let go of him and unbuckled herself, leaning over the board to look out the view. White all around them, and cold, cold snow far as the eye could see. The wind was more gentle near the surface, and the flurry was mostly a drizzling of flakes, but the ice - the ice stood in huge tall structures that looked like trees - branching of sparkling shining arms reached from the thick bases, and it looked like a light show. The sun shone down and created a prism of rainbow colours. 

“That ice..” She started, and Ezra tsked her. 

“Not ice. Those are the crystals. Treasure. That’s what we’re here for.” 

“Those are crystals?” She asked, and looked closely again. “How do they look like that?”

“The elements corrode the structures down to unique shapes. But we don’t need to maintain any profile when harvesting. Buyers will design them after purchase.”

“How much is it worth?” Cee turned and looked down at Ezra. A spark lit in his dark eyes, a familiar look she saw quite frequently. She was standing in front of him, and with mild horror and to her embarrassment, mild arousal, she realized she had been leaning over the board with her bottom half in front of him. Ezra made no indication whether he had even been paying attention to that, but Cee could imagine in a different time, a different life where they were together, she could sink down into his lap now and be held by him. She felt a beating in her core and she squeezed out of the way, flushed with embarrassment and not willing to yet admit what she registered was feelings growing for her partner. 

Oblivious or too polite to make any comments, Ezra carried on. “Worth at least fifty thousand a pound.” 

Having decided to go exploring, Ezra and Cee spent the better part of an hour packing supplies and getting ready to go. They brought food and water, as well as Cee’s manual compass, and Ezra had suggested making their own map relative to where the ship was landed, using his journal to draw in. They dressed in the warmest clothes they had aboard, with layers upon layers to protect their skin from the biting winds outside. Ezra explained that storms were frequent and dangerous, and warned her they shouldn’t stray far from the ship. 

“When were you here last?” Cee asked as she zipped up a thick jacket that ran just past her knees. Ezra was pouring hot water into a travel bladder. 

He thought for a moment. “As a young man. With a companion. Many years ago.”

This was the second time Ezra had mentioned a companion from his past, and selfishly, Cee was jealous of someone she didn't even know. She didn’t reply, but tugged on her boots and walked up to the prospector, eager to get a move on. 

Ezra took the starter with them, which Cee noticed but didn’t comment on, and they stepped out into the snow together. Instantly, she fell into the soft ground, her feet flying into the ground until the white powder was at her mid thigh level, and Ezra stood in the doorway of the ship, laughing loudly at her. 

“Ezra!” She snapped, annoyed and stuck. He continued to laugh but stepped after her, flipping the hood of his matching jacket over his head before offering his hand to her. She took it with an eye roll, but she couldn’t stay mad when Ezra too sank into the snow, falling abruptly despite having been warned by the way Cee fell in. They both began to laugh again, together, and Ezra didn’t let her hand go, instead beginning to tug her along behind him. 

Warmth filled her chest as her partner carved a path with his height and greater weight, and the snow fell lightly around them. Their gloved hands clenched together sweetly, and Ezra hummed something to himself as they walked along, the wind whistling strangely as it blew through the crystal trees. 

The TY got smaller as the pair marched on, propelled by intrigue and the beauty of the planet’s biome. They came up to a series of the trees, which created a path to walk through. The large structures loomed over the two, at least fifty feet at the smallest. Cee looked up at them, marveling in their lights and the snowflakes that gently fell to her freckled cheeks. She smiled wide, and sigh contently. The path began to get smaller and the snow became more shallow, but Ezra’s grip on her hand never faltered. 

“Look,” he pointed ahead at some sort of cave like formation ahead. “Let’s repose inside.” 

Cee’s knees were burning with the effort of stepping through the thick snow, and was happy when they entered the mouth of the cave. Her cheeks burned with the cold and her fingers were frozen, which made her almost protest out loud when Ezra finally released her, opening his bag to pull out his journal. He sat upon a rock that was jutting out from the snow, impatiently flipping the pages open over his knee and beginning to sketch. 

Leaving Ezra to his work, Cee walked down further into the cave, enjoying the way the wind got quieter, muffled by the cave walls. She listened to the crunch of the snow beneath her heavy boots, boots that had not so long ago assisted her in zero gravity, floating in The Fog. She smiled hard to herself. This was her adventure. This was her hero’s journey. 

“Don’t wander far, Cee, please.” Ezra's voice echoed from the front of the entrance.

“I’m not,” she half mumbled, as she noticed something and leaned down to look at it near her feet. Some crystals, like the ones outside but much smaller, were broken, with small pieces strewn about. 

“Birdie?” A voice came behind her, and Ezra peered down at what she was looking at. “Oh, that’s a shame. Cave crystals are worth more for their non-wind bitten surfaces.” He looked back behind them and then tapped his partner’s shoulder. “We best be getting back before dark, so I don’t have to drag you through blackness.” 

Cee playfully smacked his side as she stood, resenting his comment. He didn’t have to hold her, but clearly he liked it. She looked at his hand, where he held his journal and saw he had drawn a fairly decent topographical map of what they had seen so far. He tucked it back into his bag and offered his glove again, which Cee happily accepted. 

The trek back to the TY was far more toilsome with the winds of the early evening picking up their pace. It almost felt that if Cee let go of Ezra, she might get scooped away with the snow. 

No such misfortune was brought upon the pair though as they safely returned to the ship, with Ezra opening the hatch. It was quite a step up into the entrance without a solid ground or the stairs from the colony ship, and Ezra took no second thoughts to wrapping his arm around Cee’s middle and hoisting her into the airlock’s opening. She gasped as she was picked up and quickly landed her boots into the ship. She reached down, cheeks on fire with thoughts of Ezra’s strength, and grasped his hand with both of hers, in turn assisting him back inside as well. Once the ship’s door was closed, they both stripped down their wet outer gear, and hurried into the security of the main TY space.

“I’ll get some tea going.” Cee shivered as she filled the kettle with water from the tap, watched the clear liquid closely to avoid turning around, where she could hear Ezra changing his clothes. She wasn’t sure if he wasnt ashamed, used to being in close quarters with another person, or if he wanted her to see. The latter was most likely her own desires seeping through to her rational thoughts, so she gave him privacy when he needed it, just as he extended to her when she changed. His feet quietly padded across the ship and he came up behind her, resting a hand on her arm. 

“Find a sweater, I’ll assemble the tea.”

Giving up the kettle, Cee scooted around her friend to go through her clothes box, pulling out an old knitted sweater and tugged it over her head. 

As the winds roared outside the TY, the two floaters settled in for the evening, the lights of the ship low and warm around them. Both were comfortable in dry clothes as they shared Ezra’s tea blend together, sitting on cushions on the floor. They chatted deep into the night of their plans for the next few cycles, as well as playing some of Cee’s music, laughing and smiling together. The night outside brought a promise of good prospects ahead. 

\-------------------------

_But I'll be alright as long as there's light  
From a neon moon  
And I'll be alright as long as there's light  
From a neon moon_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Song this chapter is Neon Moon by Cigarettes After Sex. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'll get right to the next one! Remember to check out my playlist and other accounts too!
> 
> Also, I've got a rather different type of fic along the way, a Din Djarin x Reader x Ezra fic for a friend, so if that's your thing, keep an eye for it on this account!

**Author's Note:**

> All comments and kudos are appreciated. If you would like to connect with me (I love making friends!) I'm on insta as @worlds-forgotten and @myfinalpleasure, Tik tok as @myfinalpleasure, and Tumblr as @worlds-forgotten. Much love. 
> 
> Title is the song We're Finally Landing by Home.


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